The Ghostly Hitchhiker
by end1essly
Summary: Just in time for Halloween, a little OC/Dramione mystery/tragedy/romance featuring the ghost of one of the illustrious Golden Trio, unable to move on after a grisly death... Oneshot.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, only the characters of Julian & Teagan are my creation. I am not profiting from this work._

Julian turned the key in the ignition, the sound of the engine roaring to life providing the adrenaline rush that he could never get enough of. Tinkering with such Muggle contraptions annoyed his father to no end, but this wasn't all that surprising seeing as Cormac still hadn't forgiven Julian for refusing to try out for Quidditch when he was a first year. In all honesty, it wasn't exactly his fault that athletics simply wasn't his thing! After all, Julian _was_ Head Boy and a Guidance Leader for Ravenclaw house, and had won the top spot in Arithmancy and Herbology for three years running. His mother was ever so proud of his accomplishments… But then again, Lisa McLaggen was such a mild, kind-hearted soul; everyone, even greasy ol' Snape, entranced and delighted her.

Julian shuddered at this final thought, shifting the car into reverse. He started whistling the latest Weird Sisters song as he backed out of the driveway, his mind focused on the plans he had for the evening. While he and Teagan were both of age to Apparate, Julian had the glorious idea of driving through Muggle London, enjoying the Christmastime snowfall and seeing the various sights their city was so well known for. Driving was an experience, one that Julian tried to relish as much as humanly possible. Teagan had been more than accepting of his plan, which was one of the reasons why Julian was so fond of her.

He'd been courting Teagan Goldstein for over a year now, yet every day continued to be filled with the excitement and enthusiasm he'd felt at the beginning. Tall, slender and graced with floaty layers of the most magnificent strawberry-blonde hair, Teagan had captured the school's hearts the day she set foot in Hogwarts. Especially Julian's. He remembered being the pathetically tender age of thirteen, spending most of it humiliated over pimples and staring at Teagan's hair, which she wore back then in a long braid that cascaded down her back. Professor Binns had not taken kindly to Julian's infatuation with the lovely Hufflepuff, and gained a certain pleasure by humiliating him.

They did make a fine pair, the two of them. Teagan was the chief prefect in charge of tutoring, and therefore was quite popular with the younger students. Julian's twelve-year-old sister Melody was a particular favourite of Teagan's, the fact of which Julian didn't mind at all, considering the little bundle of excitement was the one to bring the couple together. Teagan was sweet and compassionate and playful, and Julian positively adored her. Julian's father… not so much. Cormac liked to refer to Teagan as "the worst sort of Hufflepuff", dismissing her conservative sweaters and pleated skirts as positively prude, pointing out all of the "more suitable" women when the two of them were out in public together (which was very, very rare, not surprisingly).

It would be a few more minutes before he'd arrive at the Goldstein residence, where Teagan lived with her father Anthony. Things had been very awkward at the beginning of their relationship, seeing as Teagan's father was incredibly strict and protective of his only child. Teagan had attributed this to the fact that her mother Marietta had died when she was very young, and her father had simply never gotten over the loss. Whenever the two wanted to do something outside of school, Julian was expected to sit in the parlour and endure Mr. Goldstein's cross-examining.

Julian groaned in anticipation as he opened the front gate, brushing past the dead rosebushes that lined the walkway. Teagan had thrown upon the door before he'd even reached it, jumping into his arms theatrically.

"Jules, my dear!" she exclaimed, planting an enthusiastic kiss that made Julian smile widely. "I thought you'd never get here. Father is speaking of the dangers of commuting at night again…" Teagan finished this statement with a frown, her arms still wrapped tightly around her boyfriend's neck.

Julian rolled his eyes with a sigh, kissing Teagan on the tip of her button nose. "I'm a fantastic driver, he should have no complaints. Besides, has he seen these abs? No attacker is going to carry you away, trust me."

Teagan giggled, brushing her fingertips across his abdomen while leaning in to kiss Julian again. "I think the only one doing any sort of attacking would be you."

Julian was about to reply with an equally witty response, but was halted by the sight of a rather perturbed Mr. Goldstein. "Teagan Marie, where are your manners?" he scolded.

Teagan let go reluctantly, the frown on her face switching to a smile as she turned to her paternal figure. "I apologize, Father," she said regretfully. "But as you can see, Julian's here… I'll be home by eleven-thirty?"

Mr. Goldstein cocked a slowly greying eyebrow, crossing his arms solemnly over his chest. "Not so fast, Miss! Julian, do come in for a few moments…"

Teagan let out an audible groan and dragged Julian into the parlor, flouncing onto the floral sofa with her boyfriend's hand in her lap. Mr. Goldstein sat across from them, carefully positioning the part in his light brown hair and steepling his fingers. "So, Mr. McLaggen, what intentions do you have with my daughter tonight?"

Julian lightly gulped and could hear Teagan sighing loudly next to him. "Well, I thought that we'd start with some curry, and then take a walk around the city. Teagan mentioned it would be nice if we made a stop at Regents Park, which is supposed to be quite lovely this time of year…"

"How long have you had your Muggle driving license?" Mr. Goldstein asked, although more than anything else, it sounded like a stern demand.

"About a year now, sir. I have no accidents on my record."

"Can I take a look at the vehicle?" Mr. Goldstein said briskly, rising to his feet and brushing the pleats in his firmly pressed trousers.

"Why yes," Julian responded, feeling rather taken aback. "I fixed the car with my grandfather this past summer, it's in fine working condition…"

"Do lead the way," Mr. Goldstein offered, causing Teagan's hands to uncomfortably clamp upon her boyfriend's in sheer irritation.

* * *

"Bloody Hell!" Teagan cursed fifteen minutes later as the little Volkswagen pulled away from the curb. "He's an incorrigible nag, he is! It's not as if we haven't been seeing one another for ages…"

Julian shook his head, giving Teagan an affectionate wink. "He may be an old loony, but at least he lets me take you out every so often. It could be worse."

Teagan groaned loudly, buttoning up her black woolen pea coat. "You don't live with him, Julian. Thank Merlin we board at Hogwarts during the year, I wouldn't be able to stand it!"

Julian smiled as the car took a turn, the throng of passerby visible from their vehicle as they were halted in traffic. "Did you have a good week, T?" he asked, adjusting the rear-view mirror slightly.

"Yes!" Teagan squealed, returning to her usual cheery mood. "My little cousins visited and we had such fun playing in the snow! And then I went and visited Gwyneth, she has the most darling little Puffskein, only a few weeks old!"

Julian chuckled; pecking her on the cheek while traffic remained at a standstill. "I'm very glad, love. You always manage to keep busy, even though we're on holiday!"

"I'm relaxing with you, am I not?" Teagan replied, giving his hand a tiny squeeze. The car zipped through the London streets, crossing over a bridge. "Besides, those are fine words coming from you, Mr. Head Boy!"

Julian scowled, causing a stream of giggles to come from his girlfriend. "Don't remind me… I don't know how you do it, honestly. Every time a first year comes to me with a question, which is every five seconds, I just want to scream."

"You are so impatient!" Teagan responded, pinching him. "I think it's so sweet that they come to you for help, they obviously admire you so!"

Julian rolled his eyes, pulling into an empty parking space at the side of the road. "Oh, you say that because you have no siblings. You think your father is bad when you're home? Imagine Melody singing Celestina Warbeck, and you have my personal version of Hell."

Teagan laughed as she grabbed a handful of coins from the glove box, the money reserved especially for their jaunts around London. "You're 'orrrrrrrible, Julian!"

Julian groaned deeply, shutting his car door. "Oh T, please don't mention Dominique Weasley…the girl makes me want to lose my lunch."

Teagan snickered evilly, joining him on the sidewalk. "You have to admit, the crush she has on you is rather sweet…"

Julian abruptly stopped, face contorted in horror. "Sweet? Sweet?!" he hollered, to Teagan's great amusement. "The girl's a bloody leech, she is! Sending me those miserable love poems, as if I'd fall hopelessly in love with her because she can rhyme. And that accent… Dear Circe, her voice haunts my dreams!"

Teagan hooked her arm in Julian's, snuggling close to his side as the chill December air threatened to freeze their outsides. "You're a cruel, cruel boy, but I love you," she told him, the sound of her boots making crunching sounds on the sidewalk.

Julian smiled, stopping to hold the door to the restaurant open for his girlfriend. "I love you too, Teagan. You're the only one for me."

Teagan let out a delighted squeal as she ducked into the warm room, a smiling Julian following in her wake.

* * *

Four hours later the couple tumbled into the car, as jittery as the Whomping Willow. Julian quickly fired up the Rabbit, turning the heat on full blast to not only defrost the windshield, but keep his girlfriend from freezing prematurely to death. Teagan was huddled down in her coat, only her nose and pretty blue eyes visible, shaking from side to side.

"It's rather cold, is it not?" the redhead spoke, turning her attention to the boy who sat next to her. "Shall I cast a heating spell?"

Julian nodded, and sighed comfortingly as a gust of hot air brushed against his face. "Much better," he replied, rubbing his slightly drippy nose on the edge of his jumper. "I expect we'll have to get going, wouldn't want Mr. Goldstein to be angry…"

Teagan issued a grumbly sound that was curiously reminiscent to a string of curse words, causing Julian to chuckle in delight. Due to the combined effort of the two heats, the glass was nearly translucent again, the light of bright stars peeking through the window. Julian gave Teagan's hand a squeeze before taking off, the streets nearly empty at such a time and kind of extraordinary night.

The two were stopped at a rare stoplight when Teagan let out a small shriek, her button nose pressed to the window and collecting a fair amount of condensation. "There's someone huddled there on the ground!" she exclaimed, turning to face her boyfriend, eyes wide with concern.

Julian shook his head knowingly. It seemed that every time the two were on a date, Teagan found someone to worry over. He couldn't blame her, since it was her nature to overly compassionate and caring, so Julian usually entertained Teagan's little fancies. "Why would there be anyone out, T? It's so cold!"

Teagan bit her lip in anxiousness, her hand resting on the window opener. "Can I at least see if they're all right?" she asked, taking upon the puppy-dog expression that had Julian on his knees every time.

"Oh fine, T… Just allow me a second to pull over…" As soon as Julian had placed them in park, Teagan rolled down the window, wincing at the bitterly cold air that made its way into the vehicle.

"Excuse me!" she called. "Are you all right?"

The curious shape, which was much more in focus now that they were closer, shifted a bit before rising to its feet. Julian was surprised to see that it was a young woman close to their age swathed in a silky navy blue evening gown and heels, her thin arms wrapped around her boyish frame.

"Thank you for your concern, miss!" the young woman's brittle voice echoed, slightly wavering due to the chattering of her teeth.

"Ask her if she'd like a ride home," Julian instructed Teagan, his heart immediately going out to such a wretched creature. The woman may be a stranger, but Julian considered himself competent enough in spells to take upon anyone who meant harm. Besides, the poor thing would certainly freeze to death staying out on the street for much longer.

"Oh thank you," came the young woman's response, the mahogany hue of her hair becoming apparent as she approached the vehicle. "It's so very kind of you."

She collapsed in the back seat, Teagan turning around in her seat to see that their hitchhiker was positively blue from the cold. "Here, my dear," the redhead said kindly, unbuttoning her wool coat and tossing it behind her. "Do put this on. Wouldn't want you to catch a chill!"

Julian pulled back onto the road, studying the young woman in his rearview mirror. "Where to, miss?" he inquired, turning up the heat another notch.

"Are you familiar with Grimmauld Place?" she answered, now bundled up in Teagan's coat. "I live at number twelve, it's not far from Piccadilly."

Julian nodded, taking a left turn in the correct direction. Teagan was still turned around, face etched in a motherly fashion. "If you forgive my rudeness, what in Merlin's name were you doing out in such weather all alone?" she asked, smoothing a stray scarlet lock from her face.

"I got into a fight with my boyfriend," the young woman responded quietly, looking quite upset. "We were eating at the café just up the street, and he left me standing there on the sidewalk! I was waiting for him to return!"

Julian and Teagan exchanged a glance, slightly questioning the foolishness of their fellow passenger. "Ah well," Teagan replied cheerfully. "You're safe and warm with us now, Miss…?"

"Hermione," the woman responded, a hint of color returning to her high cheekbones. "I feel no regrets in giving you my name, it's the least I could do in return for your kindness."

Teagan smiled and swiveled back around in her seat, giving Julian a peck on the cheek. Her lips were still slightly chilly, and the surprising feel of them brushing against his skin gave him an unexpected jolt. Nevertheless, Julian continued to focus on driving, passing through light after light without interruption.

The couple became so engaged in a conversation regarding Hogwarts that when the car reached Grimmauld Place, they had nearly forgotten their hitchhiker was huddling in the backseat.

"Grimmauld," Julian announced, flicking his eyes briefly towards Hermione in the rearview mirror. "Now, which number did you say you lived at?"

Julian became distracted by Teagan's fiddling with the radio stations to the point that he believed he missed Hermione's reply. "Hermione?" Julian asked again, quickly checking the little clock on the dashboard, which read 10:15pm.

When Hermione remained silent, Teagan turned around in her seat, sucking in breath very quickly. "Jules, she's gone!" she squealed, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What, she just disappeared?" Julian replied confusedly, looking back himself to get a good look. "Where did she go?"

The young lovers looked at one another in shock, Teagan's mouth wide open. "But-but..how? We would have heard the door slam!" she sputtered, covering her mouth with one white hand.

"And she certainly didn't Apparate, for she could have done that in the first place. Besides, there's a cracking sound that goes along with it." Julian scratched his head in irritation, rather puzzled. "What number did she say she lived at?"

"I believe Number Twelve," Teagan replied through her fingers, still shocked by Hermione's sudden departure.

Julian stopped in front of the correct building, where the appropriate house grew from between two other flat complexes. It was a dark and dingy place, with a black wrought-iron fence guarding the front entrance. "Shall we go see if she made it home?" Julian asked Teagan, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

His girlfriend nodded, still taken aback but able to move. Julian kissed her tenderly on the forehead as the two walked up the icy steps to Number Twelve, supporting Teagan by a firm grasp on her elbow. It was the delicate redhead who pressed the buzzer, a light tinging sound echoing from inside.

The man who answered the door was a handsome one, the years having done nothing to diminish the charm of his tousled brown hair and sparkling green eyes. "Hello," he replied, a draft of warm air wafting through the doorway. "Can I help you? It's rather late…"

The realization of just who the older man was totally flew off Julian's radar, but Teagan gasped excitedly. "Harry Potter?!" she squealed excitedly, letting go of Julian's hand. "You live in London still? I heard that you were in the Pyrenees on an exploration for rare Hippogriffs!"

Harry chuckled amusedly, opening the door a little bit wider. "Oh Luna, the Quibbler continues to entertain… But yes, I am Harry Potter. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Excuse me," replied Julian, the only one of the couple that wasn't ridiculously star-struck. "But we picked up a girl who said she lived here, named Hermione. However, before we could actually drop her off, she disappeared!"

Harry let out a deep sigh, nodding knowingly. "Oh Hermione… she's up to it again. Listen, you better come inside…"

Teagan and Julian graciously accepted his proposal, exchanging the frigid cold atmosphere for the surprisingly cheery interior of the Potter home. Although the staircase and other architectural elements were Gothic in style, the warm colors on the walls and comfy furniture suggested that a person had been quick to work their magic on such a dreary space.

Harry led the couple into the sitting room, where a seated woman with long wavy blonde hair was knitting a large green and pink sock. "Luna, dear," Harry announced, clearing his throat. "We have visitors… they've seen Hermione."

"Oh!" Mrs. Potter let out in surprise, dropping her needles and looking at the young people through her oversized glasses. "Have you now? I daresay it's an experience, isn't it? I was rather beside myself when she showed up here the first time… Shall I get us some tea?"

Teagan giggled softly as the blonde flounced into the kitchen, Harry looking after his wife kindly. "She's a character, my dear wife is... I've forgotten, what are your names again?"

Teagan flushed, thrusting her hand out eagerly. "Teagan Goldstein, it's an absolute pleasure! I adore your house."

Harry raised his eyebrows at her introduction, but smiled back genially. "Nice to meet you, Miss Goldstein. And…?"

"Julian McLaggen," the kind young man responded, giving Mr. Potter a firm handshake. "Thank you so much for allowing us to come in."

"No problem. Anyone who is kind enough to pick up Hermione is welcome in our home," Harry replied, settling back in his armchair. "Although I must admit, your last names are quite amusing. I was familiar with both of your fathers."

Julian and Teagan exchanged a surprised look, Teagan being the first to open her mouth. "Father did mention that you were in his year, but he was a Ravenclaw!"

Harry nodded, smiling as Luna came in with a laden tea tray, grasping the lime green teacup in front of him and taking a small sip. "Indeed he was, but Gryffindor and Ravenclaw shared classes with one another quite often. Luna, do you remember Anthony Goldstein?"

Luna finished offering the tea, setting the tray down on the coffee table and squeezing next to Teagan on the couch. "Indeed I did! Always was such a nice boy… helped me with my studies and helped me find my lost things."

"I bet my father was a bloody wanker," Julian muttered, causing the Potters to chuckle amusedly.

"Ah well," Harry began carefully, a grin on his face. "Cormac and I never got along, but he certainly had his qualities…"

"Oh, I'm sure," Julian responded with a grimace, Teagan patting him affectionately upon his knee.

Luna nibbled delicately on a biscuit, pushing her spectacles further up her nose. "Harry, were you going to tell our guests about Hermione?"

Harry twitched slightly, startled. "Oh yes. I had rather forgotten, I apologise. Well, as you may have already guessed, Hermione, in her true bodily form, no longer is with us."

Teagan let out a gasp, Julian wincing as her pat turned into a clenching of his kneecap. "She's dead? But, she didn't look like any ghost I'd ever seen! The ones at Hogwarts are nearly transparent!"

Harry nodded knowingly, adding a bit of cream to his tea. "Believe me, you're not the first to say that. Hermione is an extraordinary ghost, and the fact that she chooses to return on only the most inclement of nights adds to her imperceptibility."

"How did she die?" Julian inquired in a low voice, hoping that he wasn't about to tread upon a sore subject amongst the couple.

Luna smiled ruefully, receiving a nod from Harry to allow her to continue. "I had owled Hermione earlier that day, and she'd mentioned that she was going out for the evening. She and Draco wanted to see a Muggle film—"

"Excuse me," Teagan interrupted, blushing. "But do you mean Draco Malfoy?"

Luna smiled wryly, stirring the sugar in her teacup. "Why yes… are you familiar with Scorpius?"

The couple nodded, Julian making the movement to roll his eyes. "He's a fifth year this term, but already a bloody pest," Julian scoffed. "Always mouthing off."

Teagan let out a little giggle, to which Julian shook his head vehemently. "You're much too hard on him, Jules! He's a rather adorable dear, always holding the door open for me…"

"Anyway," Julian continued to Harry, cheeks flushed at his girlfriend's attentions to the younger Malfoy. "So Hermione was on a date?"

"Indeed," Harry replied, passing Teagan the tray of biscuits, seeing as she was quite fond of the almond-flavoured ones. "Now, this was almost two decades ago, so all of us were still quite young, not much older than you two are now. When Hermione announced that she was seeing Draco, a few of us acted…rather unkindly about it."

"What Harry's trying to say," Luna continued on, getting up and embracing her husband around the neck. "Is that he and Hermione weren't on speaking terms upon Hermione's death, and he's always regretted it. Regardless, Hermione and Draco had a tumultuous relationship, always arguing over some silly thing or another, but Hermione always said she didn't mind, considering the make-up sex was so—"

"Luna!" Harry exclaimed, a half-amused, half-exasperated expression on his face. 'They're only children!"

Julian smirked in response, and Teagan nearly choked on her sweet by a sudden onslaught of giggles. Luna only shrugged, unconcerned in her own special way, and went back to knitting.

"Anyway…" Harry began again, trying to maintain composure. "The two had gotten in another one of their tizzies that particular All Hallows Eve, causing Draco to walk away in a huff, most likely an effort to calm himself down. Hermione remained there on the curb, despite the fact that it was dark outside…" At the end of his sentence Harry swallowed deeply, looking pained at the remembrance of such a memory.

Luna shot her husband a sympathetic smile, and then continued on with the story when it became apparent that Harry was distressed. "While Hermione waited on the curb, she was assaulted from behind and dragged into the nearest alleyway," Luna said solemnly, biting the edge of her lip, "where she was brutally raped and mutilated, her snapped wand found ten feet away from her body. At first the authorities thought it was a random Muggle criminal, but the fact that Hermione was so easily overpowered suggests that a former Death Eater had been trailing her for quite some time, disgusted by her association with Draco."

The young couple shuddered, Teagan burying her face in Julian's side. Her boyfriend pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her strawberry blond head before letting out a soft sigh of his own. "That's just horrid," Julian responded quietly, sending Harry a look of condolence. "How tragic."

Harry nodded in reply, the grief he still felt after so many years etched into the lines in his face, the only part of him that suggested any sort of age. "Because her death was so sudden," Harry continued in a low voice, "We believe that her ghost remains because the true killer has yet to be discovered. Perhaps one day she'll finally be ready to move on…"

Luna crossed the room, giving her husband a sweet kiss. "I'm going to check on the twins. It was nice to meet you two!" The serene blond waved happily, whisking into the hall and up the stairs.

"Lysander and James will be starting at Hogwarts next term," Harry explained to Teagan and Julian's slightly confused faces at Luna's reference. "But, shall we visit Hermione's final resting place? She requested that she be buried in the Order plot, where the bodies of the Lupins and Fred Weasley also reside."

Julian and Teagan joined Harry on their feet, nodding in understated reverence for the deceased young woman that had entered their lives. Following Mr. Potter outside into the backyard revealed a neatly kept patio and lawn, with a large area gated off for the Order cemetery. Using his wand to show the way, Harry led the couple to Hermione's grave, which was placed between the bodies of Fred and Remus Lupin. Although all of the dead from the Great War were deeply respected, it was Hermione's grave that held the most memorabilia, including a plush ginger cat and various letters addressed in the same slanting script.

"How unusual," Harry remarked, spotting something amongst the snow, roses and cards that covered Hermione's final resting place. "I wonder how this got here! Draco certainly didn't mention it when he came by yesterday..."

Julian's head whipped around on his neck as Teagan sucked in her breath sharply, letting out a high-pitched noise that sounded like a wounded animal. Shaking visibly, her fingers reached out towards the grave, where the black woolen coat she'd lent Hermione lay folded in a neat pile, chilled ice cold.

Fifteen minutes later, Mr. Potter saw his guests to the door, thanking them profusely for their visit and wishing them well on their journey home. On their way back to the Volkswagen Julian kept an extra-tight hold on Teagan's hand, knowing now that no matter how difficult their families were, he never wanted to let her go.

_Fin._


End file.
